1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electromechanical timers used in appliance functions and in particular to a dryer timer that incorporates a voltage dropping resistor that enables the timer motor to be operated at two widely differing voltages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since automatic clothes dryers were first made, electromechanical timers have been used to time their cycles. These timers are in general similar to the timers used in other appliances, such as clothes washers, and operate on standard 120 VAC. For many years now it has been state-of-the-art in electric clothes dryers to power the motor through the heater during the permanent press cycle. Since the heater operates on 240 VAC, it is necessary to insert a voltage dropping resistor in the circuit between the heater and the motor; otherwise the motor would quickly burn out. Clearly, such a voltage dropping resistor must be able to dissipate large amounts of heat if it is to drop the voltage 120 volts. For this reason, up to now such voltage dropping resistors have been mounted on the interior wall of the dryer cabinet, which acts as a heat sink. The resistor is then connected by a wiring harness to the timer which is mounted elsewhere in the cabinet.